It wouldn't be an NFL offseason without some contract controversies.
Though the two most recent collective bargaining agreements have made it more difficult for players to hold out, several teams are still approaching the start of training camp needing to resolve issues surrounding players unhappy with the terms of their current deal.
Aaron Rodgers' continued self-enforced exile has cast a shadow over the offseason, but his staring contest with the Green Bay Packers is not tied to his level of remuneration.
For four big-name defenders who skipped mandatory minicamp – though Jamal Adams was permitted to do so due to personal reasons – it is indeed about the money.
New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore said recently to ESPN: "I just want what I'm worth, however that plays out. Every player should be paid what they're worth. That's just how it is."
But what is the worth of Gilmore and the three other high-profile defensive players? And should the teams in question make the effort to sign them to more lucrative deals?
Stats Perform looked at the advanced metrics surrounding each player to assess the best course of action for their respective franchises.
Stephon Gilmore, CB, New England Patriots
Gilmore's demand to be paid what he is worth may strike some as bemusing from a player who carries the highest salary cap hit among cornerbacks ($16.27million) and missed five games in a down year.
However, his wish is more likely related to his base salary rather than his overall cap number. Gilmore is due $7m in base salary in 2021, half of what Byron Jones of the Miami Dolphins, whose $14m base salary is the most among corners, is scheduled to receive next season.
Though 2020 was a disappointing year for Gilmore and the entire Patriots defense, he has a strong case for narrowing that gap to Jones.
While he only managed one interception and three pass breakups, Gilmore still had the edge over Jones in several metrics.
His adjusted open percentage, which measures how frequently an opponent got open against a defender's coverage, adjusted for position, was 24.18 compared to 26.16 for Jones.
Though both spent time playing as inside corners, both Gilmore and Jones are primarily outside defenders and there was a contrast between the two when they lined up at that spot in 2020. Gilmore allowed a burn – when a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted regardless of whether the pass is catchable – on 50 per cent of his targets, compared to 60.4 for Jones.
Gilmore was also superior in terms of burn yards per target (10.08 to Jones' 14.08), while his burn yards per snap average of 1.36 was 12th among corners with at least 200 pass coverage snaps on the outside. Jones struggled by comparison, allowing 1.92 burn yards per snap.
The Patriots used a lot of their salary cap space on a free-agency splurge they hope will get them back in contention. However, given Gilmore's past level of performance – since signing with New England in 2017, he has racked up 52 pass breakups, tied for sixth-most in the NFL, and 11 interceptions – they might well be wise to find a way to negotiate a contract with an increased base salary for a player whose unadjusted open percentage of 46.6 was fourth among outside corners in his last full season in 2019.
Xavien Howard, CB, Miami Dolphins
Like Gilmore, Howard may also be comparing his contract to that of Dolphins team-mate Jones, whom Miami made the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL with a five-year $82.5m deal in March 2020.
Howard still has four years left on a deal paying him over $15m a year, but the All-Pro will have his eyes on a contract closer to Jones' average annual value of $16.5m.
Such compensation would unquestionably be deserved given Howard led the league in interceptions for the second time in three seasons in 2020 by picking off 10 passes.
His adjusted open percentage of 25.19 was almost a full percentage point better than that of Jones, and he had a significant edge in burn yards per target, though Howard was not exactly impressive in that category, giving up an average of 11.12 while playing on the outside.
Yet that number is likely more reflective of how often the Dolphins left Howard in single coverage. Indeed, Howard's average depth of target of 14.5 yards speaks to the frequency with which he was given the task of staying in tight coverage with a receiver downfield.
The Dolphins aren't flush with cap room – Miami sit just over $5.5m under the 2021 cap – but, in a year where the team will be expected to make a year-three leap under head coach Brian Flores, identifying a method by which to keep Howard happy is the smart move.
With a league-leading 18 interceptions in the past three seasons, Howard is a playmaker the Dolphins need on the field and motivated if they are to challenge in the AFC.
Jamal Adams, S, Seattle Seahawks
Having long since angled for a lucrative extension even before his blockbuster trade to the Seahawks last offseason, Adams is finally in line for his payday at some point this year.
Still playing on his rookie contract and due to earn close to $10m in 2021, Adams will have designs on becoming one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL.
Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos is the safety with the top contract, his average annual salary coming in at over $15m, but a better comparison for Adams may be division rival Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals ($14.75m).
Baker and Adams each spend a significant amount of time in the box and down near the line of scrimmage and the latter's reprsentatives will base much of their argument in negotiations around him leading the Seahawks in sacks with 9.5 last year.
Yet they may struggle to make a compelling case when the discussion turns to his skills in pass coverage.
Adams finished the 2020 season with an adjusted open percentage of 24.94, comfortably below that of Baker, who set the fourth-best mark among all NFL defenders with 16.38 per cent.
Such a disparity would on the surface appear to make it tough to justify Seattle giving Adams a deal akin to that of Baker.
Yet after surrendering two first-round picks to prise Adams from the Jets, the Seahawks have locked themselves into a situation where they have no choice but to pay him. Though he has proven himself a playmaker near the line of scrimmage, his performance in coverage should lead Seattle to try to ink Adams to a deal with eye-catching headline numbers but a team-friendly structure.
Chandler Jones, EDGE, Arizona Cardinals
Due to earn $15.5m in base salary and carry a $20.8m cap hit in the final year of his contract in 2021, Jones' desire to receive the compensation he believes he is due before his deal expires is likely motivated by the Cardinals' decision to sign J.J. Watt to a two-year, $28m deal this offseason.
Watt remains an ominous presence on the defensive line, but – now 32, with a checkered injury history, and having posted nine sacks in 24 games over the past two seasons – his signing is a gamble by the Cardinals, and Jones may be wondering why they did not instead invest in keeping him around.
Jones has been the picture of consistency for the Cardinals, posting double-digit sacks in each of his first four seasons with Arizona before a torn bicep cut his 2020 campaign short after five ineffective games.
The Cardinals' reticence to pay the 31-year-old now is understandable given that recent injury, but Jones will feel he has already proven himself dependable heading into 2021 and is more deserving of a new deal than several of his fellow edge rushers who have already received paydays this offseason.
In his last full season in 2019, only one edge rusher, Cameron Jordan (70), had more pressures where he beat a pass protector than the 69 Jones produced.
Watt had 51 such pressures in 2020, Shaquil Barrett received a $17m-a-year contract from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after producing 53, while Leonard Floyd was paid $16m a year by the Los Angeles Rams after beating a man on 39 pressures.
Those deals complicate matters for the Cardinals, who might have to choose between paying a player they may not trust to stay healthy and potentially shipping out the most productive pass rusher in their recent history.
The obvious solution is a new deal laden with playing-time incentives that reward Jones for staying healthy. If that cannot be done, then the Cardinals could possibly soften the blow of losing him by getting a clutch of 2022 draft picks to help them restock their defense in return via trade.
NFL: Cowboys upset Commanders on missed kick
Austin Seibert missed a game-tying extra point attempt with 21 seconds remaining, leaving Jayden Daniels’ miraculous late touchdown pass irrelevant as the Washington Commanders were handed a 34-26 loss by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday for their third straight defeat.
Down 27-20 with 33 seconds remaining, Washington (7-5) started a drive at its own 14-yard line. On the first play, Daniels found Terry McLaurin downfield near the right sideline, and the wide receiver outran three Dallas defenders while getting a key block from Noah Brown to spring him for the stunning score.
Seibert booted the extra point wide left after a low snap, however.
Washington then attempted an onside kick, but Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards for a touchdown to pad the final score.
Seibert, who missed the previous two games with a right hip injury, made field goals of 41 and 51 yards but failed to connect on another 51-yard attempt and missed two extra points in the second half.
Daniels’ touchdown pass to McLaurin will likely be forgotten, but was nearly as improbable as his Hail Mary that beat the Chicago Bears on Oct. 27. The star rookie finished with 275 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus added 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Starting in place of the injured Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns to help Dallas (4-7) end a five-game losing streak, though the Cowboys gave him plenty of help.
The Cowboys returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including KaVontae Turpin’s 99-yard scamper with under three minutes remaining, and Dallas’ defence forced three turnovers.
Barkley runs for 255 yards in Eagles' seventh straight win
The Philadelphia Eagles expanded their lead over second-place Washington in the NFC East by rolling to a 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams behind a historic performance from Saquon Barkley.
Barkley set an Eagles' single-game record with 255 rushing yards and delivered two long touchdown runs to lead Philadelphia (9-2) to its seventh straight win. The standout running back's rushing total is the most in any NFL game since Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs ran for 259 on Jan. 3, 2010.
Barkley ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter to give the Eagles a 20-7 lead, then put the game out of reach with a 72-yard sprint to the end zone with 2:44 left that staked Philadelphia to a 37-14 advantage. He became the first player with two rushing scores of 70 yards or more in a game since Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars did so in 2009.
The Eagles also got a 13-yard touchdown run from Kenneth Gainwell in the second half, while A.J. Brown racked up 109 yards and a touchdown on six catches on a night where Philadelphia accumulated a season-high 481 total yards.
Matthew Stafford threw touchdown passes to Demarcus Robinson and Cooper Kupp for Los Angeles (5-6), but the Rams couldn't slow down Barkley and the Eagles' high-powered offence in the second half and lost for just the second time in their last six games.
Philadelphia had three touchdowns and a Jake Elliott field goal on its first four drives after half-time to break open a close game. The Eagles had taken a 13-7 lead into intermission on Jalen Hurts' 6-yard touchdown pass to Brown late in the second quarter.
Puka Nacua finished with 117 yards on nine catches for Los Angeles, while Kyren Williams rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Chiefs pull out another late win, edge Panthers on last-second field goal
The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from their lone loss of the season by doing just what they've done throughout much of 2024.
Spencer Shrader knocked home a 31-yard field goal as time expired as the defending Super Bowl champions moved to 10-1 with a 30-27 victory over the pesky Carolina Panthers.
Coming off last week's 30-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City blew an 11-point lead after three quarters before marching 57 yards in seven plays in the closing stages to set up Shrader, filling in for the injured Harrison Butker, for the tie-breaking kick.
Patrick Mahomes put the Chiefs in position for the deciding points with a 33-yard scramble to the Carolina 22-yard line with 39 seconds remaining. The star quarterback also threw three touchdown passes, including two to tight end Noah Gray, to help give Kansas City its eighth one-score victory of 2024 and fifth in games decided in the final minute.
Carolina (3-8) scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter but came up just short in its bid for a third straight win. The Panthers tied the game at 27-27 when Chuba Hubbard scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left and then ran in the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 21 of 35 attempts for 263 yards with a third-quarter touchdown pass to David Moore, who recorded 81 yards on six catches.
Seahawks shut down Cardinals, forge first-place tie in NFC West
Coby Bryant's 69-yard interception return for a touchdown highlighted a superb defensive display for the Seattle Seahawks, who moved into a first-place tie in the NFC West by posting a 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Seattle (6-5) also registered five sacks of Kyler Murray, including 2 1/2 by Leonard Williams, while holding the Cardinals to two Chad Ryland field goals to end a four-game winning streak Arizona (6-5) brought into Lumen Field. The win, the Seahawks' second over an NFC West opponent in as many weeks, tied them with the Cardinals atop the division.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had six catches for 77 yards for Seattle and scored the game's only touchdown when he hauled in a 3-yard pass from Geno Smith in the second quarter that gave the Seahawks a 7-3 half-time lead.
The defence extended the margin on Arizona's opening drive of the second half, as Bryant picked off Murray's pressured pass and raced down the sideline and into the end zone with 7:12 left in the third quarter. Jason Myers missed the extra point to keep Seattle's advantage at 13-3.
Murray did manage 285 yards on 24-of-37 passing, with Trey McBride accounting for 133 of those yards on a career-high 12 receptions. The Cardinals were just 3 of 12 on third downs, however, and mustered just 49 yards on the ground.
Smith finished 22 of 31 for 254 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Levis leads Titans to upset of AFC South-leading Texans
Will Levis threw for two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 70-yard pass to Chig Okonkwo in the fourth quarter, to help the Tennessee Titans earn a surprising 32-27 road win over the AFC South-leading Houston Texans.
Levis shook off a third-quarter interception that Jimmie Ward returned 65 yards for a touchdown to give the Texans a 24-23 lead by rallying the Titans in the fourth. With 9:35 left to play, the second-year quarterback hit a wide-open Okonkwo in stride on a short pass, and the tight end raced untouched through the Houston defence for a touchdown that put the Titans up 30-27.
Houston (7-5) had a chance to tie it late, but Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 28-yard field goal attempt with 1:53 remaining. The Texans did get the ball back shortly afterward, but quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked in the end zone by Harold Landry for a safety that extended Tennessee's advantage.
Stroud also threw a pair of interceptions that contributed to the Texans' third loss in four games. The 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year did connect with Cade Stover and Nico Collins for first-half touchdowns while finishing with 247 yards on 20-of-33 passing.
Levis also found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for a 38-yard touchdown in the first quarter and completed 18 of 24 attempts for 278 yards. Tennessee (3-8) also got a big performance out of Tony Pollard, who rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, to stop a two-game losing streak.
Collins recorded 92 yards on five receptions in his second game back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him five games.
Lions run over Colts for ninth straight win
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for two touchdowns, David Montgomery ran for another and the Detroit Lions dominated both lines of scrimmage en route to their ninth consecutive victory, a 24-6 triumph over the Indianapolis Colts.
After emerging as the Super Bowl betting favourites earlier in the week, Detroit followed last Sunday's 52-6 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars with another all-around performance to improve to 10-1. That matches the best record in franchise history after 11 games, set in 1934 in the Lions' debut season in Detroit.
Gibbs had 21 carries for 90 yards, while Montgomery logged 37 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards. Jared Goff threw for 269 yards while completing 26 of 36 attempts, while a suffocating Detroit defence held the Colts to just 11 first downs to the Lions' 26.
In his second start back from a two-game benching, Anthony Richardson completed just 11 of his 28 passes for 172 yards against Detroit's stout defence as Indianapolis (5-7) was dealt a fourth loss in five games.
Richardson was Indianapolis’ leading rusher with 61 yards on 10 attempts.
The Colts did play Detroit on even terms through the first 1 1/2 quarters, with the Lions owning a slim 7-6 edge until putting together a nine-play, 70-yard drive capped by Montgomery's 6-yard touchdown run late in the first half.
Detroit's defence then took over in the second half as the Lions began to pull away. Gibbs finished a 10-play, 79-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to put Detroit up 21-6 late in the third quarter, and Jake Bates tacked on a 56-yard field goal in the fourth.
Jaiswal, Kohli tons put India on the verge of win against Australia
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli bagged magnificent centuries to put India in a commanding position on day three of their first Test match against Australia in Perth.
India declared in a dominant position of 487-6 after Jaiswal (161) built on their 172-0 at stumps on day two and former captain Kohli (100 not out) added quick runs with his first century in 16 months coming up during the final hour.
The tourists then wreaked havoc with the ball in five overs before stumps as captain Jasprit Bumrah dismissed debutant Nathan McSweeney (zero) and Marnus Labuschagne (three) before nightwatchman Cummins (two) fell to Mohammed Siraj with the score at 12, as the hosts trail by 521 runs with seven wickets in hand.
Earlier in the Test, India had scored 150 batting first before bundling out Australia for 104 in the first innings.
Jaiswal resumed his innings at 90 on the third day and brought up his century in the first hour before KL Rahul departed for 77 after an opening-wicket partnership of 201.
The centurion fell as India's third wicket at 313-3 as Australia picked up three wickets in the space of eight runs, but Kohli reached his ton with help from Washington Sundar (29) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (38 not out) as India asserted their dominance.
Girona 4-1 Espanyol: Miovski bags double as hosts ride on first-half blitz
Bojan Miovski scored twice as Girona thrashed Espanyol 4-1 in LaLiga at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Saturday.
Bryan Gil and Ladislav Krejci were also on the scoresheet as the home side raced to a 4-0 lead inside the first half hour, with Javi Puado scoring the visiting side's only goal after the break.
After the match was halted because of a fan being taken ill in the crowd, Gil opened the scoring when he unleashed a stunning long-range strike into the bottom corner with four minutes on the clock.
Gil was behind the second goal for Michel's side too, as he capitalised on a defensive error and crossed to Miovski, who made it 2-0 in the 16th minute before the pair combined again for a third five minutes later.
Donny van de Beek's header from Yaser Asprilla's corner was pushed in by Krejci for Girona's fourth in the 27th minute.
Espanyol got a consolation goal 10 minutes into the second half when Puado hit a long-range strike that found the back of Paulo Gazzaniga's net.
Girona, last season's surprise package, climbed to fifth in LaLiga with 21 points, while Espanyol are 19th and in the relegation zone with 10 points.
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